This invention relates to a jaw exercising device and more particularly to a jaw exercising device in which the jaw can be manually exercised
Jaw exercising devices are used by patients recovering from injuries to the bones and muscles of the face and neck, from reconstructive surgery, arthritis, radiation therapy among other things to improve the facial muscles.
Jaw exercising devices have taken many forms, from bite pads such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,560, to wedge-shaped plastic bodies which engage the teeth such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,535. Other devices such as that exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,420 are designed to provide motion to the jaw or resist motion of the jaw. U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,439 provides an exercising device which resists motion of the jaw to control the muscular effort required to close the jaw. These active devices are rather complex and expensive to manufacture. There is a need for a simple, economical, easy to operate, jaw exercising device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a jaw exercise device which can be used in one configuration to assist and increase the opening of the jaw, and in another configuration to resist closure of the jaw.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an economical, easy-to-operate, jaw exercising device.
The foregoing and other objects of the invention are achieved by a jaw exercising device which includes and an outer frame having spaced-apart cross members and an inner frame with spaced-apart cross members, coupled to the outer frame for movement therealong. Outwardly extending blades, which are designed to fit into the mouth of a patient, are affixed to two adjacent inner and outer cross members. The blades are moved apart either by engaging the other set of adjacent cross members with the fingers of one hand and moving the inner frame along the outer frame, or by employing resilient coupling means connected between the other set of adjacent cross members.